Upgrade StorageZotivity (formerly ZotLLM): from database search to literature review (open source, Windows)
Hi all,
Some of you may have seen my earlier post about ZotLLM. The app has grown well beyond language models, so it is now called Zotivity. It covers the work from the first database search to a checked literature review. It is still free and open source (MIT), and it runs on Windows alongside Zotero 10.
**What's new**
- Database search: from a research question to selected literature in Zotero. Build concept blocks and search strings with live hit counts, search PubMed, OpenAlex, Europe PMC, ERIC, EconBiz, Semantic Scholar, arXiv, OSF Preprints and swisscovery, or import RIS files from Ovid, EBSCO or Web of Science. Records are de-duplicated and checked against your Zotero library. You screen them as cards or in a list, and nothing is written to Zotero until you confirm. You also get a search log in the style of PRISMA-S and a PRISMA-style flow diagram. AI suggestions are optional, and every decision stays with you.
- CSL editor: find a citation style on zotero.org, adapt it by clicking on the live preview and install it directly in Zotero. This is a first version, so feedback is especially welcome.
- Literature review: now in five steps. Section lengths from the outline are now an upper limit for the language model, and the check lists sections that run too long and can shorten them.
- Word and LibreOffice documents: .docx and .odt attachments are now indexed too, with page numbers where the file records them.
- Guide: walks you through the workflow inside the app, with links and the status of your project.
Asking questions about your own texts with citations down to the page, and search without a language model, work as before. You choose the model: Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, DeepSeek or local models via Ollama. Embeddings can run entirely on your computer.
**Good to know**
- Coming from ZotLLM: the installer updates your installation, and settings, data and keys carry over on the first start. Replace the Zotero plugin once (Settings → Zotero and export → Save plugin).
- How it was built: the code was written by Claude (Anthropic) in Claude Code. I defined the features and test each version in my own research. There are about 350 automated tests, but no line-by-line review by a human developer.
- Limits of the database search: it covers searching and selection, not data extraction, risk of bias or synthesis. Each record holds one person's decision, so there is no independent double screening.
- Installer: it isn't code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen shows a warning. The README explains how to proceed.
- Purpose: it is meant as a tool for finding and checking sources, not as a replacement for reading them and writing yourself.
Zotivity is an independent project and not affiliated with Zotero.
Download and documentation: https://github.com/avibecoder42/Zotivity
Feedback, bug reports and ideas are very welcome, here or on GitHub.
Some of you may have seen my earlier post about ZotLLM. The app has grown well beyond language models, so it is now called Zotivity. It covers the work from the first database search to a checked literature review. It is still free and open source (MIT), and it runs on Windows alongside Zotero 10.
**What's new**
- Database search: from a research question to selected literature in Zotero. Build concept blocks and search strings with live hit counts, search PubMed, OpenAlex, Europe PMC, ERIC, EconBiz, Semantic Scholar, arXiv, OSF Preprints and swisscovery, or import RIS files from Ovid, EBSCO or Web of Science. Records are de-duplicated and checked against your Zotero library. You screen them as cards or in a list, and nothing is written to Zotero until you confirm. You also get a search log in the style of PRISMA-S and a PRISMA-style flow diagram. AI suggestions are optional, and every decision stays with you.
- CSL editor: find a citation style on zotero.org, adapt it by clicking on the live preview and install it directly in Zotero. This is a first version, so feedback is especially welcome.
- Literature review: now in five steps. Section lengths from the outline are now an upper limit for the language model, and the check lists sections that run too long and can shorten them.
- Word and LibreOffice documents: .docx and .odt attachments are now indexed too, with page numbers where the file records them.
- Guide: walks you through the workflow inside the app, with links and the status of your project.
Asking questions about your own texts with citations down to the page, and search without a language model, work as before. You choose the model: Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, DeepSeek or local models via Ollama. Embeddings can run entirely on your computer.
**Good to know**
- Coming from ZotLLM: the installer updates your installation, and settings, data and keys carry over on the first start. Replace the Zotero plugin once (Settings → Zotero and export → Save plugin).
- How it was built: the code was written by Claude (Anthropic) in Claude Code. I defined the features and test each version in my own research. There are about 350 automated tests, but no line-by-line review by a human developer.
- Limits of the database search: it covers searching and selection, not data extraction, risk of bias or synthesis. Each record holds one person's decision, so there is no independent double screening.
- Installer: it isn't code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen shows a warning. The README explains how to proceed.
- Purpose: it is meant as a tool for finding and checking sources, not as a replacement for reading them and writing yourself.
Zotivity is an independent project and not affiliated with Zotero.
Download and documentation: https://github.com/avibecoder42/Zotivity
Feedback, bug reports and ideas are very welcome, here or on GitHub.